


Painting Greys

by Volky888



Category: Fargo (TV)
Genre: Childhood Friends to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, theres only one bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:08:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28198896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Volky888/pseuds/Volky888
Summary: They hadn't really shared a bed for years.
Relationships: Mr. Numbers/Mr. Wrench (Fargo)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	Painting Greys

Wes isn't born a fighter. He knows from experience that there are people who are born with a fire inside, a rage and hunger that can't be quelled by anything, that those people are the ones with the coldest eyes. For Wes, violence is a survival skill that he adapts to. He accepts it and hones the skill and survives and survives and survives until one day he wakes up, and the fight is all that's keeping him alive any more. That, and one more thing. 

He looks fondly at the sleeping form of his friend next to him. Grady's hair is a mess; his eyelids tremble just slightly, on the cusp of waking up. Life seems like it could be simple in that one moment, just Wes and Grady, and the morning sun filtering through the broken blinds of their apartment.

Gently, Wes shakes Grady awake. The other man - barely just 20 now - mumbles something, puts a hand up to shield his eyes from the light, and then tries to snuggle closer to Wes for more comfortable slumber before suddenly jolting awake.

"Oh my god," Grady almost tumbles backwards. "What are you doing here?"

 _This is my bed._ Wes gestures to the mattress smugly.

Grady takes in his surroundings with a slowly clearing mind. _Can you just be a dear and remind me what happened last night._

_Well, I had to drag your drunk ass all the way up the stairs but somehow you decided you could walk again by the time I opened the apartment door._

Grady frowns.

_And then you walked straight into my bed and fell asleep._

Grady frowns a little harder.

They hadn't really shared a bed for years. They used to, at the orphanage, when both of them were small and lost and clinging on to any warmth they could find in the world. Then when they moved out into this meager studio apartment together, they'd only been able to afford one mattress, so that had been out of necessity. Now that they're earning, they can at least afford two beds, even if they can't afford a bigger apartment.

So it wasn't weird for them to share a bed, except it was, because sometimes Wes missed the warmth of Grady's body that kept him grounded all those years while they grew up. The world didn't get any kinder with time; the only thing that changed was that by virtue of growing up, Wes wasn't allowed to hold the one thing he really loves anymore.

The silence stretches out a little as Wes contemplates cracking a joke and Grady looks like he's trying to see the back of Wes' skull with the intensity of his frown.

 _I'm going to throw up._ Grady signs.

And that was that.

Grady was never really one for fighting, even after all this time. Ever since they were kids, Grady had always been the first one on the ground any time bullies decided to assert their dominance. He'd always struggled from the dirt and watched as Wes refused to give up, slamming his fists into guys whole heads taller than him. Trying and trying until one day, the hits became too much for even the meanest of the bullies, and nobody bothered them anymore. After that, Wes sparred with Grady, so that they both knew how to fight, so that Grady could survive even if Wes wasn't there.

But Grady never envisioned a future without Wes. He supposed that at first Wes thought Grady might get adopted, and indeed Grady used to hope for the same. Yet when the time came and a nice couple took interest in the skinny little kid with dark unruly hair, Grady had insisted they take Wesley with them too. He presented convincing arguments one after another why the two of them would be better together, why they _need_ to stay together. In the end, the couple left with neither kid.

Grady looks into the mirror in their cramped bathroom. His eyes are tired, the beard he’s begun growing is finally taking shape, the skin on one side of his face has little creases pressed in from Wes' bedsheets. He knows, in the deepest recess of his drunken mind, that he sought out Wes for the feeling calm and safety that the other man provided him; although whether it was out of old habit or just something new, he couldn't say.

Outside, Grady's phone rings. 

Nearly tripping, Grady rushes to pick it up, he listens closely, nods a few times out of habit, and then hangs up and turns to Wes. 

_We got a job, out of town. Three days max, they say._

Wes straightens up on his bed, relaxed expression disappearing into the focused glare he puts on for work. _What kind of job?_

Grady sighs, answer enough for both of them.

Fargo provides two names, and the two unfortunate souls just happen to live in the same city, albeit completely unaware of each other’s upcoming misfortune. Numbers and Wrench finds one of them easily enough and puts him in the ground before finally seeking out a motel for the night. By the time they find a place, both men are struggling to keep their eyes open. Numbers steps out into the cold night air to get a room, Wrench hangs back in the car and waits as usual.

Only a minute later, Numbers strides back to the car.

_That was quick._

_They've only got one room left._ Numbers replies.

_So? Does it have bed bugs or something?_

Numbers cracks a smile for a split second. _No, but… there's only one bed._

Wrench considers this for a second. _That's not an issue, you can sleep on the floor._

 _Asshole._ But he smiles and walks back to the motel office, and the next time he emerges, he's swinging a room key, beckoning at Wrench.

Later, when they've showered and changed and settled in bed, Wes puts down his book to look at Grady.

_You didn't need to make two trips to the office. You know I don't mind sharing a bed with you._

For a minute Grady looks at his friend with an expression of resigned fondness. _I know. But I needed to hear it from you._

For a moment Wes thinks he might be talking about something else too, but then Grady turns away to turn off the lights, and the conversation is left unfinished.

  
Grady wakes up to an empty bed. He panics briefly, but then a warm weight sits at the foot of the bed, dipping the mattress down. Wes is putting on his sock and boots, already dressed for the day. Grady nudges him with a foot to make him turn around.

Backlit by the soft morning light, Wes looks like he’s glowing a little. Grady, still hazy from sleep, is momentarily dumbstruck by just how handsome Wes has become. His hands fumble a little as he tries to compose himself, trying to remember why he wanted Wes to turn around in the first place.

 _The alarm didn’t even ring yet, where are you going?_ He manages eventually.

_To the store, I thought I could get some snacks for us for the day._

Grady nods, _Want me to come with you?_

Wes looks amused. _You’re volunteering to walk out in the snow with me?_

_Good point. Just go alone._

Grady falls back into the bed after Wes leaves, trying to gather his thoughts and plan for the day. Their target was last spotted in the west side of town, they’d have to drive half an hour to get to the location. – _Did Wes’ hair always look that soft?_ – The target used to be an enforcer, they’d have to be careful. – _What would it feel like to touch Wes’ cheekbones? His brow ridge?_ – They need to double check their ammo before heading out for the day – _What would it feel like to touch Wes’ lips? To kiss them?  
_Grady sits up, dragging his hands down his face, groaning. _When had it gotten this bad?_ He’d always noticed that Wes had pleasant features, a straight nose and curved lips and his infuriating hair that seemed to change color depending on the lighting… and his eyes, his clear wide eyes that never seemed to lose their boyishness even as they grew into the violent world they now inhabit. Grady felt absurd, like he’d somehow just seen Wes as a whole for the first time, and he was sure if he stayed on that particular train of thought, his heart was going to hammer itself out of his chest.

Methodically he gets out of bed; washes himself, puts on his work clothes, grooms his hair, check their weapons… anything to take his mind off things. Grady feels like he wandered into unfamiliar territory – usually when he starts overthinking, Wes would be the one he seeks out to calm his mind – what on earth could he do now, when Wes is the reason for his unquiet mind?

By the time he’s doing inventory on their first aid kit, Wes finally returns.

 _Got our usual._ Wes tells him with a grin, setting down a plastic bag on a chair. _Breakfast is inside._

Grady feels his mind relax. _It’s just Wes._ He thinks. _It’s always been just Wes._

Wrench can tell there’s something on Numbers’ mind. Something not work related. The whole day they spend tracking down their target, visiting place after place as they gather their clues, and Numbers is distracted the whole way. When they finally sit down for a late lunch at a burger place, Wrench interrupts Numbers from fiddling with his napkin and asks about it.

_What’s got you acting weird today?_

Numbers looks up in surprise. _I’m acting weird?_

Wrench gives his best “It’s obvious” face.

Numbers sighs deeply. _It’s just… it’s nothing._

_It’s not nothing. You can’t be distracted on the job. Dangerous._

_I know, I know. I just…_ His hands fall to the table, he looks around at the other patrons of the burger joint as if any of them could be spying on their conversation _. Can we talk about this later?_

Wrench frowns at him.

 _Please. Not here._ Numbers looks sincere.

_Fine._

They track down the second target by nightfall. The man puts up a fight, but is ultimately outnumbered. Cleaning up and body disposal takes them another few hours, and both men are exhausted by the time they finally drag their feet back to the motel and collapse onto their bed.

Wes props himself up after resting for five minutes, next to him, Grady lays face down, stretching out his legs and turned away. Wes taps on Grady’s shoulder until the other man reluctantly turns around to face him.

 _Seriously, are you not tired?_ Grady says.

_I am. So the sooner you tell me what’s been bothering you all day, the sooner we can go to sleep._

For a second it looks like Grady wants to find another excuse to put off this conversation, but something about the concerned expression on Wes’ face must change his mind, because he sits himself up to sign. Wes watches his every movement.

 _You._ Pause.

He tries again. _I-_

Grady stops again.

 _You ever think about the future?_ Grady says finally.

Wes furrows his eyebrows into a question, so Grady explains.

 _Because when I think- when I think about the future, you are always there with me. And I don’t know what your plans are, whether you want to move out eventually and find a girlfriend or boyfriend or if you want to buy a farm and move away to the country or if you want to stay._ He looks hopeful when he signs “stay”. Wes thinks he wants to pull Grady into his arms and hold him forever just for that.

 _I don’t really think about the future,_ Wes eventually replies, _but I’ve never imagined leaving you._

Grady fixes him with one of his searching looks, like his dark eyes can see right into Wes’ mind and pull out the most vulnerable parts that he never shows to anyone else.

 _So what then?_ Grady asks. _We continue, just the two of us. What does that make us?_

Wes finally understands what’s been on Grady’s mind all day. It’s the same thing that he’s been thinking about since he was fourteen.

 _We can be the same. Or we can be more._ Wes answers honestly. _I don’t know, and I don’t care about labels. All I care about is you, and that’s how I exist, that’s how I’ve existed all these years. Having you in my life makes me want to be good, even though I know I can never be._

Grady looks like he might shatter if Wes tried to touch him right now, so Wes balls his hands up into fists and drops them by his side.

When they fall asleep that night, face to face, Wes feels Grady weave his arms through his own, holding him close, and then a little closer.

The next day they drive back to their apartment, Grady’s hand never leaves Wes’, fingers interlaced the whole trip.

They sell their extra bed and mattress and put up a proper bookshelf in the new empty spot. Every night they sleep in a tangle of limbs and sheets, sometimes quiet; sometimes wrapped around each other in a heated frenzy, kissing and biting and touching, one pushing into another until there is no space left between them.

When Grady finally tells him, not long after that, pointing first to himself, then crossing his fists on his chest, then pointing to Wes – Wes feels like it’s the only thing in his life that is truly meant to be.

**Author's Note:**

> Wes: there are two wolves inside me, one of them is gay and the other one is gay. I am gay.
> 
> twitter @volky888


End file.
